


Innermost Thoughts

by markling_jin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Romance, Baristas, Best Friends, Coffee, Coffee Shops, Comfort/Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Friendship, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, Humorous Ending, Light Angst, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Romance, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 11:11:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16136033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markling_jin/pseuds/markling_jin
Summary: You work at the local coffee shop. He currently interns at a business firm. Your life is right on schedule. His life is a mess. He is always on the go. You take one day at a time. Total opposites, so why is there a special connection between you? More importantly, why is there a bunch of random phrases written on your palm? You don’t remember writing down anything to help you remember, so this honestly strange to you. It doesn’t help that Mark too is experiencing a strange phenomenon when it comes to his own body. There’s no way that your experience is linked with his. Absolutely no way...





	Innermost Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

Soft whispers from the outside. An icy cold breeze brushes through the naked tree branches as it pushes the million snowflakes, that descends from the vast sky, in different directions. Falling at a decent pace as it joins their brother and sisters on the concrete ground.

Winter is an interesting season as people either love it or hate it. People simply focus on the harsh coldness that it comes with it or focus on the mere fact that Christmas is soon approaching. For you, you always love the season. Not because it means that the year is almost over or that you’ll receive gifts from your friends and family. No. You are in love with this weather because of the tranquility that comes it. Seeing the blanket of pure white snow on top of what used to be your grass? Magical. Observing the footprints that causes your eyes to follow after it? A fun adventure. Most important, you absolutely love your job. Being a barista at the local café and serving hot drinks to the customers as they chat away about anything that has happened during their daily life. It is because of this job that you have the opportunity to meet some interesting characters. It is because of this job that you believe in the idea of soulmates.

As you prepare their orders, you overhear the coffee lovers talk about how they met one another. From the months of working there, you gain the knowledge of the “red thread of fate”, “two soulmates who feel the exact emotions”, and the list goes on.

Hearing about their stories makes you question if you have that special someone to call your own. Someone who is destined to make you into a better person. Someone who will love you unconditionally until the end of time.

In simple terms…

Someone to call your own…

With a soft smile gracing your lips, you grasp your fingers around the handle as you steam a cup of milk. You hum a Christmas tune to yourself as you focus on making the perfect latte for a customer.

           “Hey cutie!” shouts a fellow barista, who also happens to be your partner in crime.

           “You’re late Sowon…” You point out with a grin.

Sowon scoffs, rolling her eyes, as she ties her hair up in a ponytail.

           “Sweetie, a queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early.” She says, putting on her apron and tying it in place.

You chuckle as you do one of your signature flower art on the customer’s latte before serving it.

           “Here you go sir.” You smile sweetly at the elderly gentleman.

The gentleman says a quick yet polite thank you before taking his drink back to his seat.

Sowon perks her eyebrow up, “I think you made yet another person fall in love with you.” She states as she clocks in for work.

You wave away her remark before attending to another customer.

This is going to be yet another amazing day for you.

In a different part of the city, sadly, a certain intern at a business firm isn’t having such a wonderful start.

For Mark Lee, his day has been filled with nothing but sweat, tears, and some curse words. With his hair a disheveled mess, he forces himself to knock on his boss’ office door, praying to God that he has noticed him rushing in late. While he is a music major at the local university, his professor has suggested that he should also expose himself to the business side of the industry. Luckily, a colleague of his has helped land the internship.

However, looking at his situation now, he honestly doesn’t think he’s so lucky.

His boss is scary. His fellow interns only care about themselves. He is always late because the train and bus schedule are always unpredictable.

There are some days where Mark Lee wants to quit but decides against it when he remembers that his dream goal is so close to not being a dream anymore. He is going to be a famous producer one day, working with famous artists left and right. Yep. He can see the end goal. He just needs to keep trucking on.

Taking one final breath, Mark Lee musters enough courage to knock on the glass door. His face slightly grimaces when he hears his boss’ harsh, cold voice demanding that he enters. He wraps his fingers around the door handle and pushes the door open.

           “Take a seat, Mr. Lee.” Demands his angry boss.

Mark Lee nods meekly and quickly takes a seat. His timid stare meeting the strong, confident stare of his boss.

           “Mr. Lee, may I ask why you are late for the hundredth time this month?” His boss asks, leaning back into his seat.

           “It wasn’t a hundred times…” Mark thinks, “I am incredibly sorry, sir. I woke up late and then both the train and bus arrived late, and—” Before Mark can continue his explanation, his boss interrupts.

           “Mark, I do not want to hear your excuse. No matter what, I expect you to be here on time and ready to work,” His boss pauses, sighing, “I am not sure if this is going to continue to work out. While, yes, you are an intern, I still treat you as if you are one of my employees, and I expect my employees to have an amazing work ethic. Quite frankly, you are not displaying any of that.” He says; each of his words stab a whole in Mark’s pride.

He is right. The boss man is always right. Mark knows that he hasn’t been given his internship a 100%. He always gives whatever the task he is handed his all. What makes this internship any different?

           “You are absolutely right, sir. I have been half-assing this intern. I come up with excuse after excuse, and I apologize for that. That is not an exact representation of my work ethics. Please give me one more chance, I promise that I will deliver you nothing but the best from now on.” Mark says; confidence dripping from every word. A total 180 from his earlier mannerisms.

His boss finds himself nodding. A light humming emits from his lips as a short smile begins to form.

           “Okay.” He tells Mark shortly, alarming the poor boy.

           “Okay?” Mark repeats in a questioning tone of voice.

           “Okay as in I will give you one more shot. You blow this, and you are out of my company. Got it?” The boss clarifies, standing up and fixing his suit jacket.

Mark practically shoots up from his seat, grabbing his boss’ hands as he proceeds to shake them.

           “You will not regret this sir!” He shouts with an eager smile before dashing out of the office.

Mark’s boss shakes his head but with a smile as he takes his seat. An amusing thought occurs in his mind causing the distinguished man to chuckle.

           “I can go for a cup of coffee from my daughter’s café.” He utters to himself as he sends Mark a quick text message with his order.

Now scrolling through your phone, as you are currently on your 20-minute break, you hum along to your music. You have the habit of getting lost in your music. Something about the lyrics and the melody just speaks to your soul.

And the funny thing is that it’s always about love. The idea of falling in love. You can say that you tend to be a hopeless romantic.

           “Say yes…say yes…say yes…” You sing softly; your eyes trailing up as you drink in the peaceful atmosphere. You watch the precious snowflakes slowly trickle down before blending in with the rest.

A faint smile appears before focusing your attention back on your phone. As you reach for the device, you feel an odd sensation on your palm. More specifically, on the palm. This tickling feeling continues for a few more moments, then it suddenly disappears.

Your brows scrunch together. Tiny creases form on your forehead. You have had your share of weird encounters, but that takes the cake.

You flip over your hand. Your eyes widen as you see handwriting on it.

           “That’s odd…” You think to yourself as you scan the written content, “Why is there a coffee order on my hand?” You mentally add, finding it even weirder that you register it as your dad’s go-to coffee order.

So many questions begin to swarm your mind. Questions like, “did I write this down earlier?” or “Maybe Sowon got a message from him and had me write it on my hand for her?”

Ah…this is going to bug you for the rest of the day.

The funny thing is that you didn’t even think about the possibility that maybe this is your soulmate’s doing. Don’t you love ignoring the obvious?

With a quick huff, you grab your phone and stuff in one of the pockets of your apron. You push in your chair and head back inside. Maybe it won’t hurt to ask Sowon.

She’s one smart cookie after all…

Feeling the warmth from the heater as it melts away the icy, numb feeling from your face, you smile at each customer, checking up on every other one, as you make your back behind the counter.

You push open the little entrance door, walk up to Sowon, and whisper roughly,

           “Hey, did you have me write down something for you?”

Sowon stares at you with a questioning expression.

           “Uh…not recently. Why?” She asks, putting down her pen.

Instead of answering, you show her your palm. Sowon leans forward; her eyes squinting to make sense of the tiny font that decorates your palm. A few words quietly exit from her mouth before returning to her original position.

           “Yeah…are you feeling okay? You go from writing down a coffee order to writing anything and everything that comes to your cute little mind.” She asks, stating what she has read on your palm.

Wait what?

Last time you checked, only a coffee order is written on your hand. You quickly flip over your hand and low and behold, Sowon is right. Instead of a simple order, there’s a bunch of random words.

You read over the jumbled-up words, stifling a laughter that forms within your chest.    

“One large iced Americano with two pumps of…wait…what time did the boss man say he wanted the summary report on his desk? Shit…! I think he said that he wanted it on his desk tonight! Fuck!” You read aloud, chuckling at the number of times the word, “fuck” is written on your hand.

Sowon watches curiously at you. She takes note of the goofy smile that is glued on your face. How your head tilts to the side as you continue to read the essay that is on the palm of your hand.

Wait a minute…

That is quite strange that out of all her years of knowing you, you only just now start to write things on your hand. Normally, you’ll grab your tiny notebook and jot down anything and everything that pops into your brilliant mind.

Suddenly, a light bulb lights up.

Sowon swiftly grabs your hand, and her assumption is right. Her eyes observes the ink disappear but soon appears once again. This time bearing a new set of phrases. Sentences that go from being articulate to being simple rambles.

           “Say, you haven’t found your soulmate yet , right?” You hear Sowon randomly ask.

You simply shake your head before standing behind the register. Sowon hums in response as she access her mind bank, specifically looking for her knowledge on soulmates.

She leans a part of her body against the counter, continuing to look through her intelligent mind.

Then, it hits her. As if someone has taken a book and lightly smacked it on her head.

She quickly pushes herself off the counter and moves next to you. Completely ignoring the fact that you are helping a customer.

You smile sweetly at the lady, who appears to be in her mid-twenties, and hand her exact change. You grab the order receipt and place it on a clip before moving around Sowon to help prepare your signature latte. What can you say? People love your signature drink. It’s probably because of the fancy latte art that you do, but whatever helps bring revenue to the café.

           “Are you even listening to me?” Sowon throws her hands up, sighing loudly.

You smile apologetically as you tighten your hair up again and quickly wash your hands.

Sowon frowns as her eyes narrow; they practically become slits.

           “I promise, I will listen to what you have to say after work. Right now, I need—” Before you can finish your sentence, requesting your dear friend to actually work instead of chit chatting, you hear an awkward voice speak up.

           “Um…excuse me? I would like to order.”

You give a Sowon a look before stepping around her and position yourself at the register.

           “Hi sir! How may I help you?” You ask politely, lightly drumming your fingers against the register screen.

A short, airy chuckle leaves the customer’s lips.

           “Sir? I would’ve thought we would at least be on first name basis with each other.” The person says, causing you to softly giggle.

You raise your brow as you tell him, “Well... Seeing how I am at work, Mark, I need to keep a sense of professionalism. I can’t play favorites with my customers.” Near the end, you playfully wink at him

The customer, who is now revealed to be Mark, laughs at your remark. He quietly says, “true”, before relaying his go-to order. Every day, Mark comes in ordering two things. He orders one coffee for his boss and then orders something to calm his nerves. Almost always he orders a plain old cup of coffee with a few shots of espresso and can’t forget a little bit of room for the creamer.

           “You know…eventually, all of that caffeine is going to kill you.” You playfully say as you ring up his total for his drinks.

Mark eyes you with a lazy yet amused smirk as he digs out his wallet from his back pocket. He then hands her the company credit card before jokingly wipes away his imaginary sweat. He is honestly amazed with himself for finally having his boss’ order correct. His prior attempts either had him making the drink too sweet or too bitter. Sometimes, he’s even forgotten to make the drink iced.

Now Mark understands why he’s always been assigned coffee duty while the other interns are either filing away important documents or scheduling important meetings for the executive board members.

If he can’t remember a simple coffee order, then how can he remember the tiny details of his clients needs—wants—when it comes to their music?

           “Everything happens for a reason…” He chants like a broken record.

As you insert his card into the card reader, you notice Mark mouthing something out of the corner of your eye. You secretly find it both adorable and hilarious that he tends to do it whenever he wants to memorize something.

Wow…you have seen him enough to know that small detail about him.

That’s kind of depressing…

           “Your order will be up soon, Mr. Lee.” You announce as you hand him back both his card and the receipt.

           “Ah… I thought we went over this. Mark is just fine. Mr. Lee reminds me of my dad.” Mark tells you, finding it quite amusing to hear you say that.

You giggle at his response, “Funny. I can say the same thing when people call me Miss L/N. It reminds me of my dad’s employees address me. It’s just weird.” You say.

The moment he hears you say your last name, he feels this poking sensation on his brain. Why does your last name sound so damn familiar?

           “Say…you don’t happen to know an elderly gentleman named, Y/D/N L/N?” inquires Mark as he mirrors your steps.

A look of confusion spreads all over your face as you begin prepping a drink for a customer that is ahead of Mark.

           “Yeah I do! He’s actually—” However, before you can spill the beans that the person in question is your dad, you hear your Sowon shout,

           “Oh, baby girl! Stop flirting with the handsome intern! The manager is demanding that you provide her with your amazing hands! Apparently, she can’t make those latte arts that the people are so fond of!”

You smile apologetically to him before handing off the shot of espresso to Sowon and leaving behind an even more confused Mark.

Mark eyes your retreating, displaying a genuine smile and walking away himself. As he’s walking away, he rolls the sleeves up just 3/4ths of the way as it has grown a tad warm inside the coffee establishment. He then glances behind his shoulder; his smile growing by the second. Seeing you smile  and chat away with your manager triggers a few fond memories. To be specific—he begins to recall the first day the two of you have met…

_Heavy pants leave his mouth; the air in his lungs disappearing right in front of his eyes. He exerts every ounce of stamina to make it the local café shop and back to the office before his boss arrives. Mark has only recently been accepted into the business firm and now is going to be late on his first day. What an amazing first impression he wants to establish to not only his boss but his senior employees as well._

_To add insult to injury, he’s forgotten what the assistance has told him about his boss’ favorite coffee combination._

_Why didn’t he write it down?_

_Oh…._

_That’s right…_

_He’s a cocky idiot thinking that he can remember a simple order._

_Life is cruel to him…_

_With the coffee shop nearing in sight, Mark picks up his pace. He loosens up his tie and unbuttons a few of buttons of his dress shirt. The last ting he wants to add to his piling list of “reasons why I should be fired” is the fact that his shirt stinks of sweat and despair._

_Uncaring about being a perfect gentleman, he pushes past the sea of customers, wanting to make it to the front of the line. He ignores the loud complaints and profanities as he rests his hands on the counter._

_He tries his best to catch his breath fairly quickly. Time is precious to him, and he can’t afford to dawdle right now._

_With you, on the other hand, you have all the time in the world. Your dad has given you permission to work at this wonderful café since he knows about your hidden passion for creating any form art. Whether it’s with a paint brush or a colored pencil, you always have to create something._

_When Jae Hwa told you that the local café near the university was hiring, you immediately jumped at the chance. Now, you can practice your latte art and be technically paid to do so._

_“Hey, can you cover me at the register? My dad has been keeping me updated with my little brother, so I want to give him a call and see how things are.” Jae Hwa asks with a hopeful smile._

_You tighten your pony tail and quickly say, “yes”. She has covered for you before, so why not return the favor?_

_Jae Hwa happily and swiftly thanks you as she exits the bar area and goes outside._

_You quickly type in your login credentials before taking the next person’s order._

_“Hi there! How may I help you this fine morning?” You ask with a warm smile, though, you observe the look of dread that’s painted all over the poor soul’s face._

_“…yeah…I need…uh….shit…” The person mumbles, trying his hardest to remember of the coffee order._

_This unexplainable feeling of pity fills your heart as you notice the morning rush piling on behind him._

_“Would you like me to recommend something for you? You seem tense…” You politely question, taking note of the constant sweat that trickles down the side of his face and his uptight body language._

_“Nah. I’m okay,” He pulls out his phone and opens his messaging app, “I’m lucky that my boss’ assistant messaged me his order.” He replies before relaying an interesting drink order._

_A grin of curiosity forms on your lips as this knowing feeling in the back of your head pokes at you. That drink is oddly too familiar; however, you decide to push that thought onto the back burner. The morning rush needs your absolute focus. You can dwell on why that drink order is familiar later._

_“Will that be all?” You ask, remembering your training._

_The person quickly says, “yes”, and then you total the amount for his drink._

_“Okay that will be $5.87, and may I have your name for the order?” You ask, taking his card and inserting it into the chip reader._

_“Oh! Um…Mark Lee.” He says awkwardly as you hand him back both his card and receipt._

_You smile sweetly before telling him that you’ll call him when his drink is ready. Mark returns the smile but it’s not as wide as yours. It seems rather timid—almost nervous like. You watch him move to the side and try to find an empty table to park himself at until his drink is ready._

_“I think he likes you…” says an all too familiar voice._

_“What do you want, Jungkook? Sowon isn’t scheduled to work until the afternoon shift.” You state, ignoring the annoying grin that is currently on his face._

_Jungkook holds his hands up in defense, “Hey now. I’m just here for a good old cup of coffee and to see my favorite latte artists.”_

_You can’t help but roll your eyes, “Whatever,” However, before you can resume your register duties, your manager comes up to you and asks you to start delivering drinks to the customers. When you ask her why, she says that the place is too noisy that no one can’t hear their names being called._

_“Fair enough.” You salute her as you grab Mark’s and another person’s drink orders. You first deliver the other person’s drink since the woman’s sitting at table closest to the counter. Then, you carefully make your way to Mark’s table. That boy just has to sit in the farthest corner._

_“Mark!” You try to yell subtly, hoping to gain the boy’s attention. After no response, you try again and luckily, he looks up._

_His eyes widen as he notices you struggling to push through the sea of people. Mark stands up and makes his way towards you._

_Unfortunately, he should’ve just waited for you…_

_“Holy…I am so sorry Mark!” You apologize loudly as the two of you eye his now coffee stained shirt._

_You quickly pull out a clean rag from the back of your pocket and carefully wipe down his shirt._

_Mark frowns and admits that his shirt is ruined. He then gently grasps your wrist, ignoring this spark electricity that shoots up his arm, and forces you to stop cleaning._

_“I think you can stop cleaning my shirt. Coffee stains are a bitch.” He tells you, causing you to blush from embarrassment._

_You awkwardly stand up and once again apologize for ruining his dress shirt. Mark waves off your apology as he deems it his own fault for trying to meet you halfway in this packed café._

_“Let’s just say we are both dummies, and I’ll quickly go remake your drink.” You tell him._

_Mark chuckles softly, “Don’t worry about it. I’m already in trouble for being late. What can having a dirty dress shirt and no coffee do to me?”_

_You frown; your eyes dripping with sympathy. You want to help him, but it seems like his mind is made up._

_“Well, how about this? Next time you visit, your coffee is on me.” You suggest, smiling._

_Mark returns the smile,_

_“See you tomorrow then…”_

His last words echo throughout your mind. The more you think about it, the more you find yourself smiling as you watch Mark leave your line of sight. Now having a better look at him, you take note of his attire. A dress shirt, a pair of black slacks, and a nice pair of black vans.

A short hum emits from your lips as you find it odd that a college student is wearing such a dressy attire. Maybe he works right after school, so that’s why he always stop by to buy a few drinks before dashing out of the door.

Though…

What type of job requires such a fancy attire?

More importantly, what kind of job requires this poor boy to down so much caffeine that you should just start giving him a pot of espresso to go instead of simple large cup?

To make it your thought process even wilder, you find a tad interesting that Mark always orders your dad’s go-to drink to go with whatever is his choice of the day. People can develop similar tastes in drinks. You have seen enough duplicate coffee orders to know that your hypothesis is indeed correct.

           “…nah…” You say quietly as you resume your duties.

Maybe one day, the two of you will meet outside the four walls of this coffee shop, and you guys can talk about anything and everything that comes to mind.

Meanwhile, with Mark, he is currently scrolling through his work email. Reading over everything and anything that his boss has CC’d him in. He silently curses at the fact that he didn’t bring his work laptop with him. If he did bring it with him, then he would’ve been working on the many summary reports that has piled on. Looks like he’s going to be staying behind late…yet again…

Mark can’t help but sigh, questioning his life decisions, however, before he can be completely lost in his thoughts, his phone sounds off.

As he reaches for his phone, he notices something that is drawn on his arm. His lips pursed together as he wonders what’s on his arm. He doesn’t remember being bored and doodling on it.

Wait…

Did he doodle on it?

Today has been a long day, and it’s not even evening yet.

He flips over his arm, wanting to get a better look at the doodle that he has supposedly drawn. His face is blank with emotion. Then, his bottom lip disappears followed by a few hums. He tilts his head to one side and then to the other. Yeah. Mark’s now even more confused.

           “Why is there a flower drawn on my arm?” He thinks as his eyes scan the intricate details of the flower.  His brows continue to be scrunched together the more he works his brain into overtime about this damn plant…

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice Mark looking at his arm. His face extremely close to it. You continue to stare until hearing Sowon say something to you pulls you out of your stalkerish behavior.

           “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” You politely request as you resume making another latte art. This time, it’s a heart because the customer who has requested wants to give it to his lady friend. Apparently, he’s going to confess his love to her.

Ah…young love…

           “I said, ‘have you noticed that your hand writing now says the same thing over and over?’” Sowon repeats her question, roughly flipping over your hand and causing you to mess up the heart.

Your mouth nearly drops to the floor. Your perfect latte art is now this ugly blob. You honestly want to cry. Maybe your tears will make the coffee art all pretty…

You mumble a few curse words under your breath as you begrudgingly dump the perfectly made coffee into the sink. You quickly grab another cup and create the order yet again.

Sowon, wanting your undivided attention, purposely gets in your way. While you have no idea why she’s behaving like this, a part of you has an inkling.

Sowon is quite observant. Even more than you. She has seen the depressed gleam in your eyes whenever you overhear the customers talk about their soulmate. How this heavy sigh leaves your lips as you hear her gush about Jungkook and what he has done for her that day. This envious tone in your voice when you  _politely_  ask her to stop talking about the idea of having a soulmate.

Over the years, Sowon has helped couple after couple find their better half. Yet when it comes to you, she’s absolutely stuck. Without your knowledge, she has subtly checked for any signs that your soulmate is going to show up. It varies from checking your left pinky finger to seeing if you experience the same emotion as the one you are destined to be with.

Sadly, every time, she has come up emptied handed. It’s as if the Gods of Romance is telling Sowon to stop meddling and allow you to find your soulmate at your own pace.

When you found out what your best friend has been doing, you’re annoyed at first, however, you later thanked her for efforts and then told her that you’re fine with not knowing.

After all, you have accepted the fact that your soulmate is not going to make an appearance anytime soon, and that is fine with you—or so you think.

           “Can I please finish this person’s coffee? He  _really_  wants to confess his love for his lady friend before the day is over.” You say to Sowon, steaming another cup of milk for your famous latte art.

Instead of answering, Sowon grabs your hand, making sure to not accidentally burn you. She holds your hands firmly as she closes the gap between the two of you.

           “Jae Hwa! Cover us!” She demands as she pulls you out of the café and into the cold, harsh winter air .

The rush of icy air hits your body like a ton of bricks. Your body begins to shiver. Your teeth starts to chatter. Why didn’t Sowon bring your jackets?

           “Okay, young lady. I have figured out why you have a bunch of words randomly scribbled all over your hand!” Sowon declares happily, flipping over your hand.

She then shoves your palm into your face, causing you to pull your head back a smidge. What? You don’t want to get slapped by your own hand.

That’s just embarrassing…

           “In one the many books, that I have read during my months of denial over Jungkook being my soulmate, I have read somewhere that whatever your soulmate is thinking, it will be written on your hand,” She draws back your hand, examining the ever-changing sentences, “When did you notice the writings?” asks Sowon.

Using your free hand, you tap your chin lightly. Once you figure out the answer, you then quickly tell it to her. You reply that you have only noticed it today, however, it doesn’t rule out the fact that this strange occurrence could’ve happened prior to today.

Sowon nods as she says, “okay”, repeatedly.

The thing about soulmate is honestly tricky. There is no definite answer as to why one’s soulmate will appear when he or she least expects them too. One person can go on for years without knowing who their soulmate is while the other can meet their soulmate in less than 24 hours. It’s random gamble.

With Sowon, she hasn’t seen any signs of her soulmate for almost a year. Then, one day, when she’s walking back to her car, she feels random emotions hitting her all at once. A few days later, she comes face-to-face with Jungkook, and everything begins making sense to her.

With you, it hasn’t even been a whole day yet and the Gods of Romance wants you to meet your better half ASAP. However, the downside is that anyone can be thinking the things that are written on your palm.

The human mind is always changing; naturally, the thoughts change as well.

           “I don’t see why you couldn’t tell me this inside…I can’t feel my face anymore…” You mutter, crossing your arms over your chest.

Sowon laughs at your comment before pulling you back inside and allowing the two of you to defrost. You can see Jae Hwa secretly freaking out as she gives it her best effort to remain calm.

You and Sowon glance each other as you rush to Jae Hwa’s aid…

Back with Mark, who is still deciphering what his newly found tattoo means, he is currently scanning the Internet for any answer. While he is a stranger to the world of soulmates, it didn’t mean that he’s completely oblivious to it. He knows what a soulmate is, and why people have one. He’s just unfamiliar with how one obtains their other half—the one person that is destined to love him for all of eternity. Better yet, he hasn’t quite understand how one finds their missing pair.

In his group of friends, half of them already have found their missing piece of the puzzle. While the other half, they are either currently searching or patiently waiting for the next clue to smack them in the face.

Now with Mark, he’s been too busy to either care or even notice that there has been tiny hints. He just didn’t know it…

Sending a quick S.O.S to his friend, Taeyong, Mark stares at his phone intensely, waiting for a response. As he is doing this, he fails to realize that an odd combination of numbers appears underneath the detailed drawing of the flower. To be more specific, a certain date now displays nicely below the drawing.

After what seems like a forever, Mark’s phone makes a bell like sound, signaling the anxious man that he has a new message.

 

 

> **[From TY-Track 05:45 PM: First off, aren’t you still doing your internship? Second of all, since have you become so keen on this soulmate stuff?]**
> 
> **[From TY-Track 05:47 PM: You always seemed disinterested whenever the fellas and I talk about it…]**

Mark’s brows furrow together. His buddies have discussed this before? Then, a look of realization washes over him. They do talk about their missing half whenever they get the chance because they give each other great advice on the topic.

One of the many joys of having a growing group of friends. You will always have at least three people who are experiencing something similar.

With a sheepish grin, Mark quickly types a reply, not knowing that you are walking towards with his order. You are embarrassed that you honestly forgot about Mark’s order since the café has gotten so backed up to the point that the order number has become incredibly disorganized.

Why is there only the three of you working the rush? The world will never know…

You gently place down his drink order and tell him to enjoy his flavor of the day.

Mark laughs and just as you are about to walk away, he notices some familiar words written on your palm.

Why is his boss’ drink order written all over your hand? More importantly, why is his mental memo to strangle Jisung written all over it.

Without a second thought, he grabs your hand and pulls you down to the seat in front of him.

You eye him with confused eyes, “Uh…may I help you, Mark?”

Instead of answering, Mark flips over your hand, creating that surge of electricity once again.

           “Why did you write my weird ass mental note on your head? Actually, how in the world did you know what I’m thinking?” Mark fires question after question.

You can’t help but gawk at his questions. Last time you checked, you aren’t a mind reader, so there’s no plausible explanation as to why you have his “mental note” written on your hand.

The two of stare at your palm a few more seconds until you notice a familiar design underneath his forearm.

Without uttering a word, you grab his arm and hold it close to your face. The way it is drawn is the same way you create your flower design for your latte art.

           “I have a question for you, why do you have my flower design tattooed on your arm?” You question him this time.

Mark looks taken back, so this is your flower design? Oh…! That’s why it looks familiar to him. Every time he picks up his order, he always sees plenty of drinks with your latte art waiting to be picked up by their owner.

           “Okay…this is honestly freaky…” He mumbles to himself as he takes a moment to process everything.

You hum in response as you too take a second to process a moment.

           “So, I see you have found your soulmate, my soft princess.” The two of you hear Sowon say.

Both you and Mark become confused by her words.

           “I’m saying that you two experienced the rarer side of finding your soulmate. For you, whatever your soulmate thinks, it appears on your palm. At first, I thought you were having a mental breakdown but then I realize that you had names written down that I couldn’t match a face to, and I know almost everyone in your life,” She turns to Mark, “And for you Mark, you have what they call a significant symbol that means something to your soulmate. In this case, Y/N loves art and creates intricate designs on our customers latte.” She clarifies while Jungkook simply nods in agreement.

You open your mouth to speak but soon close it. You have no idea what to say next.

Mark, on the other hand, is feeling both terrified and over the moon that he has finally found his other half. Happy that he has found the person that is going to make him the luckiest man alive yet terrified that he feels he’s not worthy of having you.

Before speaking, he clears his throat and with a sincere smile, Mark asks,

           “What do you want to do?”

You are taken back by his question. Is he seriously handing the ball over to you? Never once in your life have you ever thought about your soulmate giving you the power to decide on the bond between you two.

This is truly sweet of him…

           “Well, I’m willing to explore this newly found bond between us. I mean, we are paired up for a reason,” You then take his hand, “Even more so since you have my birth date written underneath my flower design.” You confess, finding it quite hilarious that the Gods of Romance has given him another sign of his soulmate while you’re only given one.

Mark looks flabbergasted as he scrambles to check his arm. His eyes home in on the not-so-random combination of numbers on his arm. He softly repeats the digits of your birthday before lowering his arm.

           “Huh….well, I’ll be damned,” He smiles brightly, “If this isn’t a sign that we are meant to be together, then I don’t know what is.” He jokes, causing you to practically smile from ear-to-ear.

           “I’m ready for this crazy adventure.” You tell him sweetly.

Mark nods, agreeing with your statement.

           “I have a question for you though.” He asks, remembering that he wants to ask you about your last name.

You hum in response, waiting for him to continue.

           “Are you related to Y/D/N L/N?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

           “Oh! Yeah! He’s my dad!” You happily announce, unknowingly instilling fear within Mark.

           “He’s your dad?!” He pretty much shrieks in terror; his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates

           “Don’t worry…I’ll put in a good word for you with him. After all, I gotta take care of my better half now.” You comfort him, gently rubbing the back of his hand with your thumb.

           “Nah…that’s my job.”

           “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Mark.”

* * *

 

**A/N:** And there you have it! My second soulmate!AU one shot! I am honestly quite amazed with how long this one one turned out! The only time I have ever written a long one shot was for a Jungkook smut I had decided to revamp last year!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one shot! I will try and update my other stories whenever I have the chance. My weekends on October might be limited since my grandma is flying back to Irvine, CA next weekend, and I’m going to visit her with my mom. Also, I need to start buckling down on my studies, so I might put some stories on hold or just work on it slowly. Hope you guys understand and be patient! 

Don’t forget to leave a comment/kudos! I love hearing your thoughts! :)

\- Kim


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